


Andromeda

by Iceixient



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Issues, Major Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-01-22 19:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18533869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iceixient/pseuds/Iceixient
Summary: Blaire and Ryan were never the favorites of their family, but their father Alec still decided to bring them with him and Sara on a trip that'd have them leaving the Milky Way for good. And of course, Nothing goes according to plan.(A somewhat canon-compliant story involving me and my friend's Ryders. Not going to be a Sara or Alec Ryder friendly fic, Just as a tiny heads up.)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've not submitted a fic of mine in... Years. Like, pretty sure last time it was is with PMD when I was in my more early teen years.  
> I'm now 23 l o l
> 
> This is just me having a gay old time smashing away at that keyboard, writing about a game I really enjoy despite the flaws. I've been talking about it with my friend for some time now, it's been a load of fun. Blaire is specifically my Ryder, while Ryan is my friends. 
> 
> No promises on how often I'll update, and additionally I'll add tags as they become relevant. (And I figure out what all would fit too.)
> 
> (Also summarizing things is hard and I'm not good at summarizing my own stuff lakjsdf)

You know, you never realize how much you'll miss something until you're about ready to leave it behind. Never realize how much your crippling fear could grip you in the last moments. Blaire didn't himself but, it sank into his mind sitting aboard the Hyperion. They were about to leave the milky way and earth behind for, good. The friends he made, the hero he looked up to, everything he's known as he's grown up, all it things he'll never see again. More so if they don't even make it.  

His hands tighten around the edge of the bed he was sitting on. Nerves were getting the better of him. Should he not be nervous? They were about ready to go to a galaxy they've never really seen except for in pictures, to be in cryostasis for the next few hundred years. There are many things that could go wrong. And it's not like it was his first choice to sign up for this either. Excitement and adventure aren't his thing, he would've been fine staying at home with Ryan. Taking care of his plants and working on ship repair and other tech issues on Omega was by far a better option. 

Admittedly, Omega offered more excitement than he liked still but at least... He got to _know_ it. _Used_ to it. And it wasn't as far from earth either.  

"Hey, how're you holding up there?" Ryan settled herself next to her brother, breaking him out of his thoughts. Ryan had finished getting changed into the assigned uniforms that almost everyone now wore. 

"Oh, y'know. Just the same pre popsicle jitters I've been having for the last week." Leaning comfortably into his sister's arm, Blaire looked around the room. Most of it was clear at this point, many others already asleep. He asked to wait around for her before going into cryo with everyone else. He wanted a little bit more time with his sister before this journey. "But you're looking good though, the initiative outfit isn't so bad on you." 

"Is that it though?" She was more worried about how he was doing, he realized. 

Humming a bit, he thought of how to phrase how he's feeling. 

"Yea, it is. I mean it's been, more intense. Everything now feels so... Final. No more earth. No more lazy days sitting at home tending to my plants. No more familiar stink of Omega. No more news on the Shepards even. And I can't shake the fear that one or both of us won't wake up on the other side, but..."  

"Can't turn back at this point, right?"  

"Yea, exactly."  

Bringing her arm up around his shoulder, Ryan pulled Blaire into a hug. "The area will be different and, things won't be so established but... Could get back those lazy days of yours." Tilting her head on top of his, she continued "Though we could ditch out. They won't miss two initiative outfits, will they?"  

Chuckling Blaire looked up at her "Maybe? But you know what Alec and Sara would say if they heard you."  

"Eugh, you're _right_." Both of them scrunched their faces up in disgust at the thought. They deemed her unfit and incapable at birth, and they've given her no chance to show them how brilliant she is. Blaire frowned at that. It never was fair to her at all. 

Looking up at his sisters now determined face, he brought his arm around Ryan to finish that one arm hug. "If either of us is going to great out there, it's going to be you. I'm going to be fumbling around like a fool."  

Furrowing her brow, she gave him a squeeze "I will do great, but I don't wanna hear that talk from you."  

"Yeah, yeah I know my job is just as necessary as everyone else's."  

Giving her brother a pointed look, Blaire conceded. "I will be a very useful and vital part of the trip because nobody else is as good of a botanist as I am. And on top of That, I can also work with tech and repairs too as a secondary job."  

Ryan gave him a slight smile. Blaire felt that phrase was a bit too much for what he felt his skills were but, at least she was happy with it. Pausing, Blaire looked down at his feet. 

"Soo...Guess this will be goodbye for a while then."  

"Goodbye? I'm going to be right down the hall from you."  

Snorting, Blaire looked offended. "Maybe. But it feels like a goodbye for how long we're going to be out."  

"You're right..." Ryan drifted off. It was clear she was just as concerned about this trip as he was. It brought Blaire an odd sense of comfort. "But it's still not a goodbye. Because I am going to see you at Andromeda. And we are both going to be okay." Ryan added on finally, sounding sure of that fact. 

"You think so?" Blaire wanted to believe it. It would be nice to assume that when they open their eyes on the other side, everything will be alright. 

“Ryders... You need to wrap this up, we have a long trip ahead of us.” Dr. T’Perro interrupted, Blaire nodding in her direction to acknowledge her presence. Neither of them wanted to let go, but time was running out. 

“Hey, before you go, want me to put your hair up for you?” Blaire figured he'd offer before it was too late. 

Smiling, Ryan turned herself to the side so he could access the back of her head better “I'd love it if you did” 

Quickly he began separating her hair so he could braid it, something that wouldn’t be uncomfortable to sleep with. Both of them stayed in silence in this time, Blaire humming a quiet melody while he worked. Ryan had closed her eyes, seeming to ease with her brother's tune. It was unfortunate that it felt like Blaire had barely just begun when he wrapped the hair tie in place. 

Standing up, Ryan pulled Blaire up into a proper hug. Pressing his face against her shoulder, Blaire hugged her tighter "So. Ready for the longest nap of our lives?"  

“Not really, but not like there's much else to do.”  

“Plenty to do once we get there. Still, best not leave the doctors waiting.”  

“Right... Sleep well, Blaire.” 

“You too, sis.”  

Ryan turned to go to Lexi, who looked up from the panel she was working on to greet her. Blaire sat back down onto the edge of the bed, watching as her discussion with Lexi began.  

Dr. Carlyle walked over, and Blaire zoned out the basic pleasantries and final bit of preparation for Cryo. He was so absorbed by fears and, even a mild bit of excitement, he didn’t even register when he was led to his pod. He by far wasn’t ready, but as the pod closed over him, there was no escaping it now.  

 

Andromeda was waiting for them. 


	2. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBH I've had this sitting back for.... almost a week now I think?  
> I was starting to over analyze it and worry so; I decided to toss it out before it Never got out here. Did the Actually necessary quick edits and. Let it loose. Hopefully it's not too ugly skldjf
> 
> As a note dialogue "Works like this."  
> And Blaires inner thoughts 'Work like this instead.' But also in italics.
> 
> I don't know how or if you can make chapter notes in italics . _ .

The cold buzz of machinery reverberated.

 

Footsteps echoed in the distance.

 

It's so cold.

 

Why is it so cold?

 

_'Where am I?'_

 

Blaire tried reaching out to his hands, to his feet; to curl them, feel them. He felt a slight twinge at his fingertips.

 

He's still here.

 

Aboard the Hyperion still, he began to recall. Can't check with his eyes as heavy as the rest of him.

 

Best he can do right now is breathe. Focus on his heartbeat. As he felt more of himself ease back into life, he remembered what was going on.

 

They were in Andromeda. He is here as a Botanist. He agreed to come along with this trip to help crops flourish, and to learn what they need to from the local flora.

He also refused to leave without Ryan.

 

_'Ryan. Is she already awake?'_

 

Blaire couldn't wait to see her again. They might've slept through the few centuries it took to get here, but it still feels like ages since he last saw her.

_'Really could use some more sleep though. Or several cups of coffee.'_

The limbo he found himself in was odd and he wanted to go back to sleep. But he was starting to feel warmer, more alive. Still heavy but, it was bound to wear off.

Blaire felt his body start to move, hands easing him out of the pod and onto a hard surface. Though he couldn't respond, he assumed it was to finish waking him up out of cryo. Not like he could ask if that was true.

_'Is somebody supposed to be aware at this point?'_

Can't ask that right now either. Might ask one of the doctors later though if he could remember.

_'What if somebody is harvesting my organs?'_

That was unnecessary. If he could move his face, he'd cringe at that. No. The initiative didn't come all this way to lose their colonists to some newfound black market. He'd be fine.

Though laying there was leaving him a lot of room to wonder.

Forcing his mind elsewhere, he began to wonder how much the initiative has already discovered. He wasn’t to be woken up until later. Could’ve gotten in with the first wave of colonists for whatever outpost got started up first, but he figured he’d bargain for something a bit later. Shame he wouldn’t be the first to see the life Andromeda had to offer but, he felt it was safer that way.

A safer day is a good day.

Blaire felt his finger curl against the table he was placed on. He had no idea how long this was going to take, but minutes felt like hours being stuck like this, and he was growing more impatient and worried by the moment. He’s heard quiet noises all around him, people come and go. But no Ryan. Either she’s yet to be woken up, in the process of waking up, or...

‘Something happened.’

Uneased by that thought, he kept trying to move his hands more, to feel anything in his leaden body. He tried to reassure himself that she was fine, but he wouldn’t feel comfortable until he could confirm that she was. She was the only true and good family he had.

He can’t bear the thought of being alone.

However, he didn’t need to struggle for long. He felt something in him just, _click_ , and before he could even register it, he lurched forward from his laying position, gasping for air as if he was suffocating the entire time. He almost stood up but, he felt his knees give out beneath him. Thankfully two sets of hands were there to catch him.

“Hey now, take it easy.”

Dazed, Blaire didn’t say anything, nodding at them to let them know he heard them. He let himself be guided back down; it was clear he wasn’t going to move so quickly. Eyes adjusting to the low light of the room, he glanced around, seeing that he was indeed still on the Hyperion, cryopods lining the upper walls.

“Blaire Ryder, Recon Specialist, Pathfinder Mission Team.”

_‘Wait - What?’_

A woman standing nearby was looking at a data-pad, listing off that he was a Recon Specialist? And on the pathfinder mission team?

“Pathfinder team, eh? The ones finding us a new home?”

The other that caught him, the man smiled at Blaire. Confused, Blaire just looked past them.

_‘Am I actually awake? This isn’t right.’_

“Could you make it somewhere tropical? Nice, warm, summer year-round.”

Blaire couldn’t believe it. Who messed up his file? If he was on the pathfinder team. Then that means he’s among the first to awake. They’ve only just got here.

“How about we get him a cup of coffee first.”

The unknown initiative man said as he brought his hand to Blaire's arm to help lift him off the table. Not having the energy to argue, Blaire let them stand him up, testing his legs to make sure they wouldn’t buckle beneath him.

“Do you think you’ll need help to the next room?” The woman inquired.

“Yeah I, think I do.” His legs felt like jelly after being thawed out. He’d probably be alright but... He didn’t want to fall flat on his face because he overestimated himself. The two of them seemed to not mind though, helping him along into the medbay. “Say... Are you guys in the process of waking a Ryan Ryder up?”

Despite his new concerns with being on the mission team, he had to ask.

Smiling and pointing to a pod across the way, the man nodded “She’s right over there, should be pulled out soon.”

Hearing that pulled a weight off of Blaire's mind. The two of them led him to one of the med bay beds and sat him down, giving him a quick and gentle wave goodbye as they walked off to help the next waking person. No longer worrying about Ryan, Blaire took to kicking his feet, getting the full feeling back in them. Stretching his weary waking body after being still for so long. Not too many people were up. It seemed across from him sat somebody he remembered from one of the orientations... Liam? A doctor he didn’t recognize was checking up on him. 

_ ‘If he’s only just getting up then, we have only just got here.’  _ Blaire shook his head. He could only figure that his father had a hand in this.  _ ‘But why? Is he going to try to make me the ‘ideal’ son he has countless times before?’ _

Blaire grimaced at that. Of all the times and places. It was strange enough he seemed to be trying to show he... Cared? But this? Now? He knew how ill-suited Blaire was to this. A ‘trial by fire’ scenario wasn’t going to change him. 

Another member of the team walked up to him and handed him a cup of coffee. Thanking them, he turned his attention to his cup. Furrowing his brow, he stared deep into it for a moment. No matter how much he did though, the dark liquid had no answers to offer him. Resigning to just drinking it, he felt relieved to feel such warmth in his throat again. 

_ 'What am I supposed to do? Should I request to be put back into stasis? Tell them that waking me up now was an error, that I’m no recon specialist?'   _ Sighing, Blaire rejected that idea. Ryan would be up soon too, and he didn’t want to leave her by herself.  _ 'Should at least get them to fix my job description though.' _

“Blaire Ryder?” Dr.  T’perro  walked over to his bed “Let's get you checked out.” 

Looking up at her, he allowed her to begin her scans to make sure everything was functional. Watching her tap away at her  omnitool , Blaire listened to the welcoming vid being played on the screen at the far end of the room, talking about the golden worlds and their purpose here. Blaire's attention was yanked back to the  asari  doctor when she needed to check his teeth. It wasn’t fun having his face poked and prodded at but, Blaire let her do her work all the same. 

After she finished, Dr.  T’perro  glanced over to the welcoming vid while she pulled out her data-pad. “Makes it sound so easy, doesn’t it?” 

“It does,” Blaire shook his head “But I know it's going to be anything but.” 

‘ _ Especially since I’m not supposed to be on the team.’ _

“You’ve got that right; word came down that the Pathfinder wants you all mission ready within the hour” 

Blaire furrowed his brow, “So soon? What's going on?” 

“Not sure, he didn’t say.”  Dr.T’perro  brought up two fingers to the side of her. “Look this way.” 

Complying, Blaire followed her finger from one side to the next. However, when she brought her finger to the left; in the corner of his eye, Blaire spotted the one person he could’ve dealt without seeing. Sara. 

_ ‘Figures she’d have to be up too.’ _  Blaire sighed.  _ ‘Alec couldn’t go without his favorite child.’ _

“Perhaps it's not my place to ask, but.” Lexi began as she went over to a terminal on the wall at the side of Blaire's bed. “Is everything alright Blaire? You seem distracted.”

“Do I?” Blaire looked back at her. She wasn’t wrong but. He didn’t feel comfortable telling her. “Nah, I’m alright. Just waking up still I think.” 

“If you say so. One final thing though; SAM, are you monitoring?” Giving a slight pause, Lexi waited for a response from SAM. “SAM? Are you online?” 

After a second an interesting holographic sphere was projected from the ceiling. “Yes,  Dr.T’perro . Good morning, Blaire. Are you feeling well?” A robotic voice responded. Blaire didn’t remember much about SAM, just that it was a project of his fathers. 

“Yep. I’m doing just fine, ready to get out of here in fact.” Sitting straight up, he was partially right about that. Blaire did want to get out of here, to at least get by himself and think things over. Corner his father and ask him just  _ what _  he was thinking putting him on the pathfinder team. 

“Readings confirmed. I detect an increased level of Adrenaline and Norepinephrine. Your neural implant is functioning properly.” 

Blaire had to pause a moment. Norepinephrine? SAM had him at a bit of a loss. Lightly laughing, Blaire shrugged. “Yep just, a whole lot of excitement on seeing what's out there.” Blaire looked over to Lexi, trying to judge if she could tell he was honestly stressed out, in a bad way. 

“You’re all done, let's get you on your way.”  Dr.T’perro  came back over to Blaire, putting a hand on his shoulder. Complying, Blaire got to his feet, while he wanted to bolt out the door, there was one person he was eager to see again. Lexi raised her hand in the direction he was already ready to go. “You’re welcome to stick around while we revive your sister; it always helps to see a familiar face.”

Blaire smiled a bit. She was the one person he wanted to talk to at this given time. She’s always been there and encouraging. Despite the odd happening of being woke up early, Blaire knew she’d still be a solid rock for him to lean on. 

But the rumbling outside didn’t let him smile for long. Fear sinking into his gut, Blaire looked up and around to try and figure out where the noise came from. Everyone else grew silent, and the lights flickered. Before he was able to open his mouth  to ask if  anyone had  any  idea what that was , He felt the ship lurch, sending him and everyone standing stumbling down to the ground. 

Blaire barely missed hitting his face  as he came tumbling down , instinctively bringing his arms up to his heads defense, and further covering it as the ship groaned and creaked from whatever was assaulting it. The flickering grew more intense, sparks started coming down from the ceiling's wirings.  Blaire's hands were uncontrollably trembling, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself from the onslaught of new panicked thoughts. 

Another noise brought snapped him out of it though, the  cryopod  his sister in screeching as it scraped itself across the floor directly towards him. Wide-eyed and looking like a deer in the headlights as it hurtled towards him, Blaire sat there frozen and unable to move, sure that this was truly the end. That is, until he saw the pod lift off the ground and, felt himself become significantly more weightless. Heart pounding in his chest, still cradling the top of his head, Blaire became aware of others outside the  medbay  panicking, yelling quite audible despite the closed doors. Others within the  medbay  seemed, much calmer despite the unnerving situation; one person, unfortunately, left haphazardly spinning in the air.

Though Blaire couldn’t make much out over the intercom but a few words, Blaire could hear the other tech in the room advising everyone to brace themselves. Floating in the air as they all were, Blaire wasn’t entirely sure how to in his body bean -like state.  Should he stretch out his legs? Try to turn himself to the side? Looking over to Lexi, seeing her keep her body more open, looking like she was ready to catch herself with her hands when she fell, Blaire decided to, try and do that too. Despite how much he wanted to stay curled up. 

“I’m almost inside, hold on.” A familiar yet rather unknown voice called out. Blaire looked towards the door to see someone come inside. He figured he probably saw her during all the talks and briefing before they all  went into hibernation.

“This is Cora, I’m at the  cryobay ” Pulling herself around the corner, she started working at a panel beside the door. “Brace for a reset.” 

Before Blaire really could be ready for it, he felt gravity return as he tumbled towards the ground, barely having time to catch his fall. 

“Everyone okay?” Recovering from the gravity reset, Cora looked behind her to check on everyone. Blaire was more content to stay on the floor for a moment, letting his head slump into his now crossed arms.

“I think so” Lexi was the first to respond to her, everyone else more shaken up by the events. “What happened?” 

“We’re not sure, sensors are scrambled,” Cora stated matter of  factly . Feeling Lexis hand on his shoulder, Blaire sighed figuring it was time to get up. Bringing himself back up to his full height, Blaire glanced around at the mess that was caused during all of that. Boxes and  datapads  were scattered, and several techs were going around trying to clean everything up. 

“This is the Pathfinder; mission teams continue preparation. Cora, Ryders, report to the bridge.” 

Blaire tried his hardest to not outwardly look like he just had sewage poured on him hearing his father's voice over the intercom. 

“Well, you heard him, let's get-”

“Uh, we have a problem over here.” 

Even though Cora was ready to head out compliant to the Pathfinders orders, Dr. Carlyle drew their attention over to a damaged  cryopod  over in the corner of the room. 

“It’s Ryan Ryder.” 

Feeling a lump form in his throat, Blaire wasted no time heading directly over to his sisters  cryopod .  

“What's wrong?”

“I don’t know, have to check it out.” 

Cora and Lexi were right behind him, though he didn’t pay them much mind as he peered into the small glass window the pod offered him to his sisters sleeping face. 

Despite the charred exterior, she seemed visibly peaceful. 

“Blaire?” 

“Is my sister okay?”  That was the main thing  Blaire wanted to know  right that second.  Lexi looked up from her  omnitool .

“ Ryans  fine, her vitals are strong. But the revival process was interrupted.”

“So, what does that mean? When will she be able to wake up?” Blaire asked without skipping a beat. She was alive, that was good, but what damage was still done regardless? 

“We don’t want to rush it. SAM?” 

“My connection to Ryan’s implant was suspended, however her pulse, respiration, and brain activity are all normal,” SAM responded in his robotic voice, as Lexi tapped away at her  omnitool . 

“To be on the safe side, we’ll need to keep her in a low-level coma for a while; Then let her body regain consciousness naturally. She’ll be fine.” Lexi finished, looking to Blaire. While it certainly wasn’t the best news, it was good to know she’ll be okay. 

Sighing, Blaire looked back down to his sister. “That's good to know, Thank you  Dr.T’perro .” 

But in the meantime, he was on his own with this. 

“Thank you, Lexi, keep us updated?” Starting to leave, Cora turned to the exit. “Ryder I’ll, wait for you at the door, whenever you’re ready to go.” 

Closing his eyes, Blaire was loathe to leave his sister. But he wasn’t going to do either of them any good being in the doctor's way. And more so, he had a fight to pick with his father for dragging them out of stasis so early. But fear swelled in his heart. Could he really manage without her in the meantime? Sure, he might've worked his way to get them away from their family; but her spirit and determination was truly something brilliant once she got the chance to truly embrace who she is.

Backing away from the pod he looked at his sisters sleeping face once more, before sighing. 

_ ‘Stay safe and strong for the both of us you hear? We promised we’d see each other at the other side of this nonsense.’ _

Finally pulling himself away Blaire went over to the exit before leaving became any harder. 

Looking at his approach, Cora stood from her lean against the wall. “You ready?” 

Blaire simply offered a nod in response as the door began to open to let them out. 

No sooner than they stepped out the door, Blaire heard machinery make noises it should not be making. 

“We’ve got a surge in the power reading!” 

Slowly walking out to see the panic right outside  medbay , the room echoing with a shrill sound until the power generator let out a blast; Smoke quickly filling the room.  Blaire ducked back a bit in shock, while Cora took initiative and began going over to the far side of the room.

“Hey, up here!” A worried engineer called to his attention. “Whatever hit the Ark fried everything, we have to balance the power otherwise everything is going to explode!”

Grimacing at the thought of the whole place being blown to pieces with his sister defenseless right nearby, Blaire pulled out his  omnitool  and began scanning the parts to see if he could help them locate the fault as quickly as possible.

“But we don’t know where the fault is!” Cried out another engineer behind something, it sounded like.

_ ‘Way ahead of you pal’  _

“I’ll try to readings on the second conduit” 

“I’ll try to run diagnostics.” Cora and the other techs were also scurrying around to find the problem, but Blaire was  _ pretty _  sure he was already almost to the faulty part. Coolant was fine, as were the coils, however...

“Relay 2-C shows damage from the temperature spike,” Sam confirmed his thoughts. “It’s a bad relay!” Blaire called out immediately, making his way over to the engineering panel back towards the stairs. 

“Ryder, can you reset it?” 

“On it, give me a sec.” Working on his  omnitool , he quickly had the thing reset so it’d redistribute the power and, avert the problem while they got proper repairs in place. “There, done.”

The generator began whirring back to life, smoke no longer pouring out of it. 

“Its working!”

“Thank god, this could’ve eliminated everyone in  cryobay .”

Engineers continued working, as their job was far from over, the reset a temporary fix. Coughing from the smoke, Blaire backed off and looked around. Sure was a mess but, it was good to prevent at least one disaster in this mess of a morning.

“Good job Ryder, now we can get to the tram.” Cora sprinted back up the stairs from the side of the room she was working on, wasting no time from heading up the hallway. Blaire trailed behind her, feeling a bit numb after everything that had already happened.

“That was close, barely in Andromeda and we’re already scrambling.” Cora sighed,  sounding slightly amused.  Blaire simply walked into the tram, and found himself a seat to slump into. Cora made her way over to a screen and tapped in their destination on the panel right below it before seating herself across from him.

“You holding in there?” Cora looked at Blaire, as he sat staring up at the ceiling. Waving his hand lazily in response, he sighed.

“Yea, just as you said, barely here and we’re all scrambling. Just trying to figure out how to take it all in. Don’t really want to talk about it just. Think.”

Nodding at his response, she looked out the window of the tram as it began to move. “That's fair, I’ll leave you to your thoughts then.”

Blaire let himself glance out the corner of his eyes to see the lights moving past them. He knew this ride wasn’t going to be too long, but he sure wished he could be left for a good hour to try and digest all of what's happened so far. Pulled out of stasis too soon, put on pathfinder team without his knowledge, the one member of his family he valued was now going to be in a coma for who knows how long. Closing his eyes, he dared not think of what worse could happen. He felt emotionally drained and, relatively vacant at the given point in time.

What was he even going to say to his father?

He felt that the issue was hurtling towards him now as they approached the bridge of the ship. He’d expect his father to be there, attempting to take charge of whatever messy situation they all now find themselves in, even if he wasn’t exactly going about it the  _ right way _ . No matter if somebody else had a better idea.

Sure, he was once N7, but that doesn’t always make him right.

And fighting a man with that level of stubbornness was near impossible. Blaire wasn’t sure how he scraped by as he did when he was a teen. And even as he fought Alec, he never exactly won an argument against him. Blaire wasn’t sure if any of his words ever even stuck. 

It's always felt one-sided, and that alone was tiring.  Getting a foothold against him is going to be hard, and possibly even getting him to stop to listen harder still, but after  everything’s  that happened  since  he woke up? There was no way Blaire wasn’t going t o give Alec an earful.

Grinding to a halt, the tram doors open after a moment. Looking over to the screen and then Cora who was getting up, Blaire assumed this was their stop.  Sighing, he slowly pulled himself from his seat, mentally preparing himself for whatever backward reason Alec might have to hive him for pulling him out of stasis early and everything else.

 

* * *

 

Walking into the  bridge, Blaire noted how  everything  seemed even more  chaotic  than  in  cryobay . While the place wasn’t crowded , it still had several people running from screen to screen, pouring over the scans and data, and discussing whatever they needed to  w ith their colleagues .  He looked over the screen, readings seemingly completely unintelligible.

Bu t  then  Blaire's  eyed were pulled to the scene outside .

Black tendrils stretched as far as he could see, no familiar comfort of an average  ship view of space.  Gold seemed to pulse through it , giving it a terrifying, yet strangely beautiful look.

_ 'This must be what caused the disturbance.' _

But was it biological? Technological? Raw space  energy ? Blaire had no  idea.

“What's our position?”

Attention being pulled from, whatever was wrecking the ship, to his father, Blaire scrunched his face up deciding to wait and see where this discussion was going to go.

“Unknown - We lost telemetry!” One  of the  pilots  responded; clearly at a loss of what was going on like most everyone else.

_ ‘Lost telemetry? Great to know it's as bad as it looks.’ _

“Sam, we need eyes out there.”

Crossing his arms, Blaire was uncertain just how much an AI could really help them in this situation, but shrugging he assumed that its better than not trying at all.

“Attempting to adjust sensor array.” 

“Alec, please; You may be pathfinder, but this is my ship.” Captain Dunn turned to Alec, notably not pleased with  Alecs  choice to allow SAM to interfere.

Blaire shook his head. There's no way his father was going to just step aside.

“Captain, the protocol is clear: In the absence of communication with the Nexus or the other Arks, we proceed to our appointed golden world. S _ olid ground _ .”

Yep. There it was. Blaire laughed in his mind; he knew full well the Captain had no chance.

“If it's even out there. Nobody said anything about hitting an energy cloud – And that’s just a wild guess of what we hit.” Dunn responded, keeping calm despite her authority being pushed aside by Alec. “Alec, I need to assess the damage; Stop the bleeding. We have 20,000 people asleep on this ship... Let's give them a chance to wake up.”

Interjecting himself into the conversation, Blaire took a step forward. “She has the right of it, what good are we going to do leaving our mode of transportation in chaos to try and get to a golden world we’ve yet to see be what we need.” Looking at his father now turned to him, attempting to smile in some sense of confidence despite the lack of it; Blaire continued. “Judging  _ alone _  on how I’ve been since being rudely awakened; It's probably not going to be quite so golden.”

And really, he was speaking honestly with that. If things _are_ continuing the way they have been; It's probably going to be some toxic cesspool of a planet where no water-based life could hope to thrive in.

“We’re going to get nowhere standing around up here.” Giving Blaire a pointed look, Alec turned back to Dunn.

“We’re coming through.”  Spoke another of the pilots, almost too quiet to hear over everyone else.

Stars peeking through the black tendrils, the energy cloud parting to give a peek of a planet, which seemed relatively normal for a moment, before Blaire realized as more of it came into view; that parts of it seemed almost to be falling off. Or perhaps crumbling in? Blaire couldn’t really tell, but it certainly didn’t look good.

“My god... Is that our golden world?” Dunn stared out at the sight before her. Blaire was glad that he wasn’t the only one worried by the scene in front of him.

“ That's  Habitat 7. ‘New Earth’ if we’re lucky.”

Scoffing, Blaire looked at the back of  Alec’s  head. “Lucky? That looks like a crumbling mess. I know you might deal with that in your home life, but not everyone wants unsteady ground to live with.”

Blaire's  words missing his father, Alec just moved on to one of the scans on the side.

“All of our long-range scans told us it was in the green zone. Perfect for human settlement.”

Blaire simply rolled his eyes. It's been hundreds of years. Alec moved to a holographic image of the planet it once was. Enlarging it; it became even more painfully obvious that things weren’t as they were before.

“It doesn’t even look the same.” Cora softly mentioned besides him; Blaire turning to her for a split second, having entirely forgotten her presence for a while. But she is right. It looks nothing like what they had scanned before.

“It looks like an utter train wreck.” Blaire more loudly said, intending for his father to hear him. “You can’t seriously be thinking of still going down there for a visually lost cause.”

“We don’t know that for sure; SAM?” Alec continued undeterred by his son.

“The energy from the phenomenon is dampening our sensors. Planetary conditions are unknown.”

That certainly did not make the situation sound salvageable to Blaire. Alec was silently looking out the window for a moment, before turning to address the crew.

“We’re marooned. Twenty thousand souls adrift at sea. And when the power runs out and stays out...” Alec paused, almost seemingly considering his words. Pointing towards the wreck that he was trying to make seem plausible for safety “We need to know if that’s safe harbor.” 

“And if it's not?” Dunn shared the same concern as Blaire. That clearly wasn’t home waiting to greet them.

“As Pathfinder, it is my job to find an alternative. It’s what we trained for. But if this goes well... We’re already home.” Alec seemed so sure. Blaire hated that. He hated all of this.

“All right. Just make it quick.” Dunn relented. Of course she did, Alec never failed to pull things in his favor. 

“Harper, the rest of the team should be awake by now. Have them spin up two shuttles.  Planetfall  in thirty.” Already heading towards the exit, Alec made his way past Cora and Blaire, making Blaire  remember  that he was not quite through with his father yet. Before Cora could even confirm she was going to follow through with his orders, Blaire moved to try to keep up with him.

Following him out the door, and into the corridor, Blaire frustrated called out to Alec “Hey- You just hold on a second.”

“I don’t have time to talk, you should be getting ready.” Waving him off, Alec continued on his course. Huffing, Blaire continued his pursuit regardless; he wasn’t going to let him weasel his way out that easy. Picking up the pace  to a near sprint , Blaire  grabbed hold of  his  father's  jacket  with a harsh yank , causing his father to lose his steady quick step and look behind him. Glaring up at his father, and refusing to loosen his grip, Blaire steadied himself for an argument.

“What the _hell_ are you thinking putting me on the pathfinder team.”

Sighing, Alec looked down at Blaire. Frustration, among other feelings, was present on his face. Alec knew his son wouldn’t agree with this but ...

“I have my reasons. We can talk about it later.”

That wasn’t the answer Blaire wanted, however before he could say anything, Alec took his wrist and forced him to let go of his jacket, before leaving him and heading directly into the tram, letting the door close before Blaire could even attempt to reach him and corner him in there.

Frustrated, Blaire let his fist sink onto the door as he heard  the tram  leave down the corridor. This  _ wasn’t _  the last Alec is hearing from him. He  _ will  _ get his answers. Letting his head lean against the door next to his fist, it then came to his attention, what now?

Was he seriously supposed to go and get geared up to go down to Habitat 7? Where was he even supposed to do that? Is there even gear that is fitted to him? Scrunching up his face, he figured Alec probably somehow took care of that. There was, probably armor waiting for him. 

“Hey; You left pretty early. What’re you standing around for?” In a lighthearted tone, Cora walked up behind Blaire, who simply looked to the side before dislodging himself from his frustrated position.

“Not much. So.... Where are we supposed to get geared up at?” Blaire composed himself, asking an honest question, thinking to perhaps avoid the area altogether. Could he just defy his father's orders? Without  Ryan  to back him up, Blaire felt rather stranded and without option at the moment.

“Just a tram ride away.” Cora smiled, “It shouldn’t be too long before another shows up.” 

Deciding to just turn and stand next to her to wait, Blaire crossed his arms and debated on potential escape routes out of this problem.

“So... About what happened on the bridge...” Cora started, trying to break the silence. Blaire simply shrugged, continuing to look ahead.

“We’re not on the friendliest terms if that’s what you’re wondering. Happens all the time when we’re around each other.” Blaire laughed “I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

While slightly concerned, Cora nodded. “I see.”

“What do you think about what's going on though?” Blaire asked, figuring no use being cold to somebody he may very well be stuck working with until his sister wakes up.

“Honestly... I think you and Captain Dunn have the right of it, but your fathers' idea isn’t wrong either .”  Cora looked away from Blaire, almost seemingly debating how sure she is on her decision. “It is his job as Pathfinder to find us a home, even if that means that there are risks.”

While she was sure, Blaire had to pity her for putting so much faith onto a terrible idea. Sighing he rubbed the back of his head. “Well, as long as I make it out of there in one piece, I guess I won’t complain too much.”

Smiling, Cora looked towards him. “I’m not too sure about that with the fight you gave Alec on the bridge.”

Snorting in response, Blaire shrugged. “I suppose so. I’m bound to complain a Bit. After being frozen, nearly ran over by a  cryopod , and otherwise seeing this disaster I think I’m entitled to a few harmless complaints.”

“We all had a rough awakening.” Cora plainly stated. Blaire couldn’t really argue that, having no further response. Silence fell over them for a moment, before Cora decided to break it once more.

“Read your file ...  You’re into botany?” Quirking his  eyebrow  at  Cora’s  question, Blaire turned to her. “Second in command, have access to them.” Blaire nodded. That explained that.

“I, am. Why do you ask?” He continued. Trying to play it like  he’s   _not_ a plant nerd.

“Just, interested is all. I’ve always wanted to grow a garden but not quite gotten the chance to. Figured a botanist would be a good person to talk to about it.” 

“Well... I certainly have had some of, my own gardens before. Any specific plants you’re interested in? Perhaps hybrid breeds? Flowers are fun; as are succulents.” Blaire couldn’t help but smile. This was his favorite subject. He fondly thought of the plants he tended to at his childhood home, then the later work of having plants grow in an inhospitable place such as Omega. He’s never not had plants in his room.

“Mostly, Roses. Always wanted to have a rose garden of my own.” Cora replied, smiling in return to  Blaire’s  happy face.

“Ah, roses, the infamous ‘hardest flower to grow’. They’re hardly hard if you feed them right;  blood m eal  will get them to flourish well. Climbing roses are particularly lovely  I personally  think. Though, I loved growing gardenias and smaller amounts of honeysuckle. Lovely aromatic flowers, though the honeysuckle can get a bit big and its harder to manage indoors, I didn’t mind the work behind it.”

“Just how tall did it get?”

“Eh, I forced it to stay more around six feet. They can get up to twenty. Hence the hard to be indoors deal.” Laughing, Blaire shrugged. He was willing to put up with the work with how much his sister loved the flower. “Also grew dandelions though.”

“...Dandelions?”

“Yep! Hardy little things, my sister loves them. Honestly touching how much she believes in flower rights. I was moved to have a dedicated pot just for them. Absolutely fun to occasionally pluck them when they turn into poof balls.” Smiling, he remembered the first time Ryan decided that dandelions aren’t just weeds. It really was a good memory. He made sure to pack some dandelion seeds, along with other select choices of favorites between them. No idea when he was getting that out of storage, but he looked forward to once again starting his garden here in Andromeda.

Honestly getting into the conversation, Blaire turned to Cora to continue the discussion, ready to talk about some of the odder plants he had grown, and some of the hybrids he bred himself. However, before he could open his mouth, the sound of the tram door finally opening pulled his attention, standing there he saw ...

“Oh  _ fuck _ .”

Both Sara and Blaire sat there glaring at each other, echoing one another's words. Blaire, deciding he’s not going to let his younger sister lead this conversation, decided to continue before she could.

“So. What are _you_ doing here.”  Friendly words dripped in poison, Blaire looking otherwise unfazed.

“I could ask you the same. I’m surprised to see you up and about after how _terrified_ you looked in cryobay." Sara responded in a smug tone.

Blaire let his eyes fall to his unamused look, hand  right under  his chin ,  “And you didn’t leave with father dearest apologizing for missing the _entire_ meeting?”

Sara's face looked shocked . Blaire caught her off-guard, though he kept himself from looking too pleased.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I have places to be, and you’re in my way of getting on the tram.” Walking forward, he was ready to push her a bit if need be, however, she stepped aside. Blaire figured it was because Cora was right behind him, and Sara was hardly one for making _too_ horrific of a presentation to somebody in public.  She'll stab him with words but will avoid putting him in a headlock to his benefit.

Cora was the one to walk over to the panel once more, entering in their destination. Blaire opted to make himself comfortable, watching as his sister sat down, looking slightly irritated. Propping a leg up on his knee, he figured she was bound to say something else to him at some point, but he felt ready for it. Cora looked over to Sara, before sitting near her.

“So, what held you up?” Sincerely asking, Cora looked to her. “I could fill you in if you wanted me to.”

“Just couldn’t get a tram too quickly. Guess Blaire's took too long to get back.” Sara crossed her arms, displeased that Cora was continuing on the fact that she missed her dad and his meeting on the bridge.  It was clearly a poor and obvious excuse and ‘blame your other sibling’ situation she went to when upset.

“That’d be Blaire ' s  _ and _ Cora ' s  tram, you’re blaming more than one person here. You probably just got lost.” It was hard for Blaire to contain his smirk; he knew full well his sister was prideful. Getting lost is probably more embarrassing for her than it ever would be for him.

“I did not get  _ lost.  _ I just lost track of the time.”

“Sure,  gonna  tell Alec that excuse? We both know he  _ loves _  excuses.”

“ _ Shut it _ .”

“How mature.” Head leaning back slightly, it felt great to win in at least one argument. While he wasn’t sure if she was truly done yet, or how much further she was willing to dig her own grave; he felt confident in his upper ground.

“What about Scott? Wasn’t  _ he _  supposed to be here too?”

_ ‘Oh. So that’s the cards you want to play here?’ _ __

Smirk gone and replaced with, a much more hostile look, Blaire sat forward to look Sara dead in the eyes.

“ _ She  _ was, but unfortunately  Alecs  stupid decision saw her pulled down early and inevitably injured because he can’t learn to keep his hands out of me and  Ryans business .”

Cora looked lost between them, Blaire's more joking and, rather mocking tone before replaced with something. Much angrier. Sara now seemed to be the one who had the upper hand. Sara decided that she too was going to meet his confrontational glare.

Smiling  “And what about  _ you.  _ You’re hardly useful yourself, why are you up with the rest of the pathfinders when the only thing you could find is a place to hide when things got tough?”

Starting to get concerned at the hostilities, Cora spoke up. “Alec ordered all of us to get geared up; he’s supposed to -”

“If dad wanted a plant dictionary; he’d just ask SAM. Your only use here is menial tasks, and maybe bait if you’re lucky. So keep your snide commentary to yourself, and stand back and let the professionals handle things.”

The tram jerking to a halt , Sara quickly got up to leave as soon as the door opened; Leaving  Blaire  stewing in his own anger, and Cora at a bit of a loss. Blaire was first to get up, sighing and turning to Cora.

“So, uh. Sorry about all that... Which way do we take to get to the armory?” Blaire asked, putting away his anger for the ones who deserved it. He had no want to get lost just because he stomped off like Sara.

“Its... Not a problem.” Cora responded, both of them walking out into the hall. “The armory is right nearby.”

 

* * *

 

Finally getting alone time was  great, but given everything… Blaire couldn’t find comfort in the solitude.  Blaire had opted into seeming modest and unwilling to change into the  necessary suits to go with the rest of the  gear  with everyone else around . Instead of getting changed immediately,  however ,  Blaire found himself  looking in the bathroom mirror,  squishing his  face in frustration . 

_ 'What am I supposed to  _ _ do.' _

While finding a remote area on the Hyperion  to hide  seemed, Ideal,  Blaire wasn’t sure if that was truly the smartest thing to do. What if  he  made  Alec  angry and somehow got himself kicked  off the Hyperion  for indolence .

_ 'Would he actually do that to me _ _?' _

Grimacing, Blaire wasn’t sure.  But the thought was still unpleasant.

Picking up the  undersuit , Sara's countless insults about him echoed in his mind.

While he'd defend Ryan to his last breath, the words  applied  himself…. Struck more true than  he's  comfortable with.  Looking back up at his tired face, he couldn’t help but see a coward, somebody useless,  absolutely weak.  Tears welling up in his eyes, Blaire began trying to wipe them away before they could  form.

_ 'I  _ _ should  _ _ be the one stuck in a coma, not Ryan.  _ _ She'd be flourishing where  _ _ I'm  _ _ currently floundering' _

Sniffling, Blaire raised his arm to check his  omnitool , noting he  had already been in here for nearly ten minutes. While he truly needed hours to  readjust himself after the constant, changing battering ram of different emotions  he's  been forced through ; he was quickly running out of time.

Deciding to just relent and put on the suit, Blaire wondered just how terribly Cora must think of him, and possibly Sara at this point. While he doesn’t care how Sara embarrasses herself; He didn’t want Cora to think he was stupidly hot-headed or something. He didn’t Always get mad. He rarely did, really. But Alec and Sara both get under his skin in the worst ways.

Finishing fastening in everything, all in all, the suit wasn’t as tight as he might’ve thought it would be at first glance. It was like a complete 1-piece pajama set up, covering him from right below his neck all the way down. The armor and other parts he left in the locker, too many of them to be easy to try and carry around to a new location. Giving a few test motions to make sure it fit well, Blaire was satisfied. But then left the fact that he had to go back into the armory, and finish getting geared up. Looking at himself in the mirror, Blaire decided to quickly splash water onto his face, drying it as he walked out of the room and made his way back to the others.

It was just a short trip from the bathrooms back into the armory, simply taking a turn and heading back down the hall he came from. Walking back into the armory, Blaire noticed that the others had already begun wrapping up, 2 already done and seemingly relaxing with a radio playing right nearby them. Going over to what he found out to be his designated locker, he started pulling out some of the more armored parts.

_ ‘Hopefully, I won't actually need this.’ _

Blaire tried his best to hurry up, but still make sure everything was secure. He had wasted time in the bathroom, but he doesn’t want to improperly secure something meant to keep him safe. While bulky in some parts, it wasn’t as heavy as Blaire thought it would be. Securing the last leg brace, Blaire looked back up into the locker to notice, he seemed to lack a helmet. Taking one last glance, Blaire searched the room until he saw on the other side that there was a shelf with various helmets.

_ ‘Would figure we’d keep those separate like the rest of the gear but, who am I to question the setup.’ _

Blaire looked through the helmets to find one that’d fit his head, For the most part many seemed pretty universal. Picking one up, Blaire opted to carry it under his arm for the time being.

“The Pathfinder is now requiring  sidearms . I’ve opened the armaments locker.” SAM’s voice cut in.

“Any particular reason?”

“A precaution. Please arm yourself Blaire.”

Not an unwise decision really, one he couldn’t argue against. While Blaire never liked carrying around weapons, he used to carry  sidearms  with him as a precaution when he worked as a few gangs' engineer on Omega, along with a few other defensive options. To protect himself from both the people outside and within the gang. Dangerous work calls for dangerous precautions.

Going over to the locker, Blaire pulled out a simple M-3 Predator. Nothing big or overpowered, but enough for him to have something to keep himself safe. Not that there were many options. Blaire remembered the old  Carniflex  pistol that he was given by a gang member that he had helped a few times before. Said he wasn’t one for such small weapons anyways. Blaire honestly wondered if he knew the worth of the thing, or that it even was a  Carniflex , but the guy didn’t last long enough for him to ask anyway, so it became the usual sidearm for him to carry while he worked as he did.

Cora walked up beside him and selected her own choice of weapons, securing them in their places before turning to Blaire. “So, all ready to go?”

“Guess so,” Securing his own pistol in its place on his side, Blaire taking a moment to make sure it was properly in its place. “Sure hope I don’t have to use this.”

“Never know.” Cora began to walk away before stopping. “I always wondered what it’s like when explorers crossed the ocean. Nothing but stars and dead-reckoning to guide them.”

“With maps that said ‘Here be Dragons’.” Snorting, Blaire followed suit as they both walked towards the exit.

“Well if they made it, we can too. And maybe see a dragon along the way.”

“Hopefully they won't see us."

 

* * *

 

Walking into  shuttlebay  again brought back memories of him and Ryan first arriving on the Hyperion. He was feeling a lot less confident now than he did back then. Not too many people were around, Blaire noticed Sara sitting by one of the shuttles on a pile of boxes, assumedly supplies. Blaire  paid  her no mind, there was enough tension already.

Not too many people were there, but it probably was the two teams set up to go  planetside . The other 3 men that were gearing up with them before just entered behind them, and Blaire saw Dr. Carlyle checking over an open box's contents.

“Doctor Carlyle, with everything going on, I’d think the ark needs you more than we do?” Cora and Blaire approached him, right as he shut the lid and began to stand up.

“Pathfinder wants a medic on hand. And if that is home down there? I’m more than happy to knock on the door.”

“Yea, except we have  _ no _  idea what's on the other side of that door.” Blaire shook his head, this really didn’t feel comparable to just, walking up and knocking on a front door.

“Not a problem. If it has teeth, I brought pliers. Yank  em ’ out myself.” Dr. Carlyle said in a joking tone, before backing off and lifting up the crate of whatever supplies he checked on and walking off with it to the other shuttle across the way.

Blaire wished he could be that lighthearted about this.

“All right team, button it up. We leave in five.” 

Alec came out from the shuttle they were near, looking over the group he had gathered.

“Sir, we broke out the weapons as requested. Anything we should know about?” Cora approached him, leaving Blaire standing where he was. Blaire figured as his second in command, she was probably pretty comfortable about asking questions she felt she needed to.

“Seemed prudent, given the situation. We’ll be shorthanded with Ryan out.”

Blaire honestly felt surprised in that moment. He had intended on taking Ryan down with them? _And_ he used her correct name? Alec looked at Blaire, look softening as he approached him. Blaire made no movement.

“I heard what happened. Your sisters strong, she’ll make it.” Blaire looked at him, his confusion seeping into his facial expression. Is his dad actually trying to cheer him up? Is his dad having  _ faith _  that Ryan will make it through? “Don’t let this get you down, I need you sharp.”

Blaire found himself dumbstruck. “I... Understand.”

Beginning to turn away, Alec tossed in one more surprising phrase to Blaire, softer, and sincere. “Your mom would’ve been proud. Of both of you.” 

Alec then walked back to the entrance of the shuttle to begin the rest of his  address  to the rest of the crew. Blaire being left feeling like his father got swapped out mid-way in this trip. He was used to scolding's, not... Whatever that was.

“Okay team, listen up. I chose each of you for the Pathfinder team, not just because you’re passionate and talented. But because you’re dreamers, like me.” Alec looked at the crew. Almost seemingly past it, above them all. “We dream of exploring the unknown, finding the edge of the map – and discovering what lies beyond. When people look back on this day – and they will – they'll remember that we didn’t give up. That we kept dreaming. That our first few, faltering, steps in Andromeda were the beginning of everything they know.”

Alec sure loved his motivational speeches, Blaire noted. Looking around to the others, perhaps that’s what the people needed. Everyone else seemed, glued to his words. Blaire couldn’t find the heart to be so motivated by them, but he couldn’t deny the effect Alec had on the others.

“We only get one chance to be first. So, let's go make history.”

Giving the group one last affirming look, Alec turned back into the shuttle he came from, and everyone began splitting into their designated groups and headed into the appropriate shuttle.

“Been waiting 600 years for this.” A young handsome man said, positively brimming with energy. Blaire remembered seeing him when he first came out of cryo. Before he could ask, he gave him a light friendly punch on the shoulder before heading into the shuttle they’re assigned to. Following after him, he stepped into the shuttle, choosing to stand next to him as the door slid shut. Placing the helmet he had been carrying for a while on his head, over the  comms  Alec’s voice came in.

“Ark Hyperion, this is shuttle one, switching to manual guidance”

Blaire felt the shuttle startup beneath him in a light hum, and in no time, they were in the air. Blaire watched as they left the  shuttlebay , and headed out into the expanse; the black tendrils still ominously stretching out.

“Shuttle two, taking your lead.” His shuttles pilot responded, Kirkland from what he remembered.

“Good Luck, Pathfinder team.” Captain Dunn responded to them both. She sounded concerned, but rightfully so. Blaire stared out the window as the Hyperion and its predicament with the energy cloud came more into view. Whatever it was, it almost seemed to be trying to grab hold of the whole ship. 

Blaire hoped that everyone onboard stayed safe while they did what Alec is leading them to do.

“Wow, would you look at that.” The man next to him was looking out over the Hyperion besides him.

“Whatever it is, it stopped the Hyperion in its tracks.”

“It appears to be an unstable mass of dark energy.” SAMs voice cut into the conversation over the shuttle's  comms .

“If you say so.”  The nearby guy responded to the AI, then turning his head to look at Blaire. “Ryder, we didn’t have a chance to meet back in the Milky Way. Name’s Liam Costa, security and recon specialist.”

“Blaire ;  nice to meet you, Liam.” 

“Gravity anomalies detected,” SAM informed the pilots, as the shuttle began to shake violently.

“Is the dark energy causing this?” Blaire looked out the window once more, trying to ignore the anxiety building up.

“No clue.” Liam shrugged. The pilots were fighting it for a moment before managing to re-stabilize their ride, and pick up speed to get to Habitat 7. “Hard to believe we’re finally doing this.”

“No joke. Information packets didn't have any clue what we’d see over here.”

Laughing, Liam nodded. “Sure right about that. But being here beats napping for another hundred years."

“I’d be more than happy being left  to nap .”

“Beginning our deceleration. Planets dead ahead.”  As Kirkland updated their status to shuttle one,  the windows went from the view of space to, a fiery display as they began to break atmosphere. The shuttle groaned and shook as gravity began to affect it more.

“Initiating atmosphere entry.”

“Here we go...” Liam while so positive, still seemed nervous too. 

As the fire from their descent dissipated, Blaire looked out over the mountainous landscape, the other shuttle right across the way. But getting a better look, Blaire noticed...

“Holy...” Liam looked stunned, staring out at the landscape with Blaire.

“Shuttle two, are you seeing this?”

They were. There was lighting everyone, boulders, possibly even whole mountains, floating in the sky, sparking and sending bolts down to the  land below.

“Uh, the mountains are floating...”

But it didn’t stop there.

“Look! Out port side!” One of the pilots pulled everyone's attention out to the building sticking out from one of the mountains.

“That has to be advanced engineering,” Cora spoke, Blaire nodding to himself in agreement. It looked advanced, small blue lights shimmering across some of the lower portions just barely in sight. “Hyperion, this is the Pathfinder. We have evidence of an alien civilization.”

“Do you think anyone has seen us?” Blaire spoke to Liam, who looked to him unsure and concerned. 

“What if they’re not friendly?”

“We stick to contact protocol: No use of deadly force unless hostile intent is clear,” Alec spoke. Blaire hoped that whatever aliens were on this planet were friendly. It certainly made it even less of a home to them  regardless ; they certainly didn’t need to be taking already occupied dirt.

Hissing suddenly coming from the shuttle, the ship  suddenly beginning to lose control ,  Blaire noticed  the increasing sparks forming around their ship. 

“Shit! Ionization just spiked- “ 

A crack resounded around the ship, lightning shaking the vessel. Blaire gripped onto one of the handles he was standing by, terror gripping him. Electricity was battering the walls until  a furious bolt  ripped the shuttle door they were standing by off. The exterior air pushing its way into the breach, forcing  Liam's  legs from underneath him. Blaire watched horrified as he saw Liam nearly launched out of the shuttle, barely holding onto the frame.

Blaire in his panic reached out his arm to Liam, calling out to him amidst the chaos. It felt futile given the distance but, Blaire had to  _ try _ .  “Hang on!”

Pilots were shouting, and it was hard to focus, Blaire stretching his body as far as he can manage, feeling his legs shake with the wind outside offering him no mercy. Liam pulled himself forward to his torso, gripping on as hard as he could as he reached a hand out to  Blaire's . Desperately stretching himself forward just a bit more, barely scraping Liam's fingertips, until Liam pushed himself just far enough where they both could grip onto each other's hand. Blaire nervously laughed in relief, holding onto Liam as tight as he could, bracing himself to attempt to pull him inside.

But before he could, an explosion sounded off behind him,  Liam's  hand slipping from his grasp, the world blurring by. 

 

Falling backward, Blaire saw the shuttle in flames  above him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \ o /
> 
> I'll update this hopefully within the next 3 months sldkjf


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